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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 14, 2007 20:18:45 GMT
Grace had been writing to Andie since they graduated the year before and had, so, kept in contact. Grace didn't want the distance between her and everyone else create a gap in their relationship. That was how Grace found out that Andie was working at the Three Broomstick and how Grace had gotten her idea. She travelled to Hogsmeade on Saturday she had off and travelled around, making a few arrangements and organising provisions. Once everything was done she decided, seeing that she was there, she would go to the Three Broomsticks and visit Andie.
She pushed the door open, heard the bell tinkle about her head and stopped walking. She quickly pulled out a self-inking quill and wrote that at the bottom of a list on a piece of parchment at the top of a thick pile of papers she was carrying in her hands. She quickly put the quill away, somewhere in the pile, and looked up, searching for Andie. She made her way to the bar, climbed a stool and put her pile on the stool next to her. Grace leaned on the bar and brushed her long blond hair out of her face. She had not seen Andie and would wait for her.
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 14, 2007 20:28:57 GMT
Andie smiled at the customer and forced back a yawn. It had been a extremely long day, and it was nowhere near to being over. Walking towards the front of the pub, her eyes fell on her old friend Grace Marks sitting at the bar, and her weary face lit up into a smile. "Grace!" she said happily, wrapping her arms around the other girl in a warm hug. "What brings you out here?" she asked curiously.
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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 15, 2007 0:32:17 GMT
Grace turned pink when Andie hugged her. She was unaccustomed to this Ravenclaw- though she wasn't one any more- showing such enthusiasm. Her shock didn't stop her from showing her own joy and Grace hugged Andie back. It had been over two months since the two friends had seen one another but it felt like a lot longer. Grace released Andie and sat back in her chair, looking Andie up and down. She had changed some but on the whole was still little dancing Andie Grace had always known.
"You're looking good," Grace said, smiling widely at her friend. Then Grace registered the question and shook her head. "Oh," she said, getting caught up in all the excitement she had almost forgotten Andie's question. "I'm up from Devon for the weekend, doing a bit of business and I thought I'd pop in, surprise you." She laughed and said again, "you look very good. 'You enjoying yourself here?"
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 15, 2007 0:36:29 GMT
Andie laughed as Grace released, "I'm doing quite well actually, I'm not doing exactly what I want, but it's nice to have a steady job, you know make some money. What have you been doing? Other than Quidditch?"
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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 15, 2007 0:50:05 GMT
Grace laughed and sat a little more securely in her chair. "I do understand," she said with a big sigh. She had not been struggling to make ends meat for herself but with no contact with Bog since graduation, Grace had become increasingly aware that there was something wrong and she wanted to be as prepared as possible for anything and if that meant making a little money on the side, so be it.
"That's actually one of the reason's I came to speak with you," Grace said. She picked up her piles of papers and started rummaging through them as she continued. "I have a business proposition for you. I know you're working here and all and just started kind of thing but I would love for you to come work with ... me." On the last word she wound the parchment she had been looking for and pulled it out.
Grace handed the parchment to Andie and smiled proudly. "It's a business plan for a restaurant that I'd like to open down the road. It'll be called The Majestic Bird purely because of the great big mural on the wall of the store I just bought. It's beautiful and I can't pain over it so it's become the name." Grace smiled from the page to Andie. "I want you to help me, work with me to run it, especially since I can't be here the whole time."
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 15, 2007 0:58:14 GMT
Andie's mouth dropped open in shock as she scanned the paper. "Grace...this is...this great! I'd love to work with you..."- she sighed- "But, I just can't see myself doing this. At least not longterm. I've always had other dreams and ambitions, I just need to get settled, get my feet on the ground before I start pursuing them. I've always wanted to be a singer, but I need to make some money first." She grinned as realization dawned on her, "And working with you would be a perfect way!" She smirked, "But I don't work weekends, or after eight!" she quipped, some of her old cheekiness coming back.
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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 15, 2007 1:13:29 GMT
Grace beamed at Andie. She had thought it was a wonderful idea, just the same as Andie did and it was the perfect way for Andie to find her feet, at least for now. But then Andie began to doubt whether or not she should. Grace's smile melted away and was replaced with a sad, dazed expression. She had always known that Andie had high ambitions but to refuse an offer like this, of choosing her own hours and of handling vaguely decent people instead of unrestrained drunkards, Grace thought was madness. And soon this self same thought must have occurred to Andie, or one much like it, as she almost agreed.
Grace jumped off her seat and threw an arm around Andie in a one armed hug, as she was still holding onto her large pile of papers. "Andie," she said, sitting back down again, "oh Andie, I'm so relieved, actually. And the times is fine, you'll just be managing while I'm not there, which incidentally works out rather well because I can only be here late at night and over weekends." Grace laughed and put the pile of papers on her lap again.
"Now," she said, back to business and to the point, "I have a contract here. I'm happy to leave it with you and come visit you again next weekend when I come to oversee the painter and make sure we have enough stock for our opening in three weeks time. Busy busy busy, huh? Anyway," she pulled another parchment from the pile and handed it to Andie, "there is your contract. You can sign it when you want but I want you to read it through first." Grace smiled at Andie, excitement coursing through her. "Now, do you think I could get a butterbeer, please?"
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 15, 2007 1:19:00 GMT
Andie laughed and shook her head, "Of course!" she said walking behind the bar to prepare the drink. Humming a song to herelf, Andie reached under the counter for a bottle of butterbeer, then standing on her tip-toes reached into the cabinet above her head, to retrieve a silver tankard. Filling the tankard, she took it back over to Grace, and sat it down with a smle. "There ya go." Taking a seat on the stool once more, she regarded Grace quizzically, "So, how is everything going for you?" she asked.
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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 15, 2007 1:29:39 GMT
Grace accepted the drink gratefully. "Thanks," she said, and took a long sip. She had been so nervous, she finally realised, that her throat had become dry. She put the tankard back on the bar before smile at Andie. She laughed and looked around the musty old bar. "Things have been busy," she said finally. "The team is great but I'm the new kid on the block and they're still trying to suss me out and what not. They practice pretty hard, all the time, but Gorgovitch, the captain, doesn't like practicing on weekends so we get the weekends off."
Grace laughed lightly to herself and sipped her butterbeer again. She had not been allowed anything that wasn't 'team approved' since she started at the end of August so having the butterbeer felt like a naughty treat that she knew she shouldn't have but just couldn't resist. She took another sip before turning back to Andie. "And how are things going for you?" she asked.
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 15, 2007 1:33:35 GMT
Andie grinned, "They're pretty good. Making some good money." she yawned, "But man, I am exhausted!"
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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 15, 2007 1:45:05 GMT
Grace leaned her elbows on the bar and buried her face in her hands. She brushed her hair back by running her fingers through her hair and held it back while she sighed. "Yeah," she said, slowly, "I know what you mean. Eight to six practice, then more of this restaurant thing, it's crazy." She relaxed, dropped her arms on either side of her tankard, and took a deep breath. "But you've got to do what you've got to do, isn't that right?"
Grace slouching in her stool and found that she didn't have enough leg room. She lifted the on and flung it gracefully over the other and turned them so she was facing Andie a little. "And then the team want to go out partying and clubbing every night. They're absolutely crazy." Grace laughed and sat up straighter, realising how silly she must look. "But they're a really nice bunch of people, very varied, lots of different people, if you get my meaning, but they're great."
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 15, 2007 17:45:10 GMT
Andie smiled wistfully. "I'm sure they are. Sounds like you're having a pretty amazing time." she chuckled, "Or at least a better time than I'm having. I mean, don't get me wrong, the job is great, it's just... not up to my standards."
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Post by Prof Grace Marks on Sept 15, 2007 23:12:43 GMT
Grace turned her head slowly and looked at Andie. She seemed tired and worked hard. It wasn't a look that did particularly much for the red head but Grace thought that working hard was something everyone had to do at some point or another. She had learned that over the past month and wished she could tell Bog that. She sighed and took another long sip of her butterbeer.
"We do what we must to get by," she said simply, putting the tankard down softly and watching her own warped reflection in the mirror behind the bar. She too looked tired and over worked but Grace preferred it to being board and doing nothing, as she was sure Bog was doing.
She sighed again and looked back to Andie, smiling now. "It's how we grow," she insisted. Taking another sip of her butterbeer she checked her watch. "You can still keep your job here," Grace said when she had put down her tankard, "because we only open in three weeks time- and that's still not enough time to get everything ready. We'll be having a little opening celebration, just a few people because that's all the store can manage, but you're welcome to invite your friends if you'd like."
Grace quickly drained her tankard, put it on the bar and stood up, putting her pile of parchment under her arm. She embraced Andie in a one armed hug and pulled back. "It was lovely seeing you again, Andie," Grace said, smiling at her friend. "I'll see you next weekend with that contract signed," she laughed as she made for the door. "Till then, au revoir!" Grace waved a hand in the air above her head as she exited the Three Broomstick. She knew she was being rude but the painter she had hired would be finishing his job at that time and she needed to catch him before he left. So Grace ran down the main street in Hogsmeade and away from the pub.
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Post by rileybabe on Sept 16, 2007 2:04:42 GMT
Andie smiled at Grace's retreating back. "Bye Grace!" she called with a wave. She sat there for a few moments, then with a sigh, went back to her customers.
((Thread Closed))
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